He added: "This is a fine example of the attitude of Southern, who only seem concerned about protecting their revenue, and less about providing an acceptable level of service."

He told Mr Gyimah: "The people of Surrey have given you another five years as their representative, and I would now urge you to use this time to address the performance of this rail company, who seem to be answerable to no one and bring little more than misery to millions every day."

A Southern spokesman said the "standing" passengers would have been fined £20 or twice the price of a single fare, whichever is the greater.

He added: "First class accommodation does not get automatically de-classified if the train is busy, but conductors do have discretion and may de-classify first class if deemed necessary."

Southern already has the second worst punctuality record in 2014/15 behind CrossCountry Trains and commuters pay some of the highest fares in the country.